Old soldier with al-Qaeda links waits in the wings

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The strongman emerging from the Yemeni crisis, Major-General Ali Mohsin Saleh
al-Ahmar, 63, has for decades been one of the regime’s key links to
al-Qaeda.

The rise of the half-brother of President Saleh is hardly likely to reassure
the US and its allies. He might seem, superficially, to be an ideal
transition figure, comparable to the Egyptian top brass who helped to ease
Hosni Mubarak out of power earlier this year. Certainly his defection and
the positioning of his tanks in defence of Sanaa student protesters suggests
that he is a force to be reckoned with.